Fight for Power
by ninjett1
Summary: Two beings, clearly from outer space are after the Dino Gems. But who is to trust?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Alright, the bell's set to ring in a few minutes and then you will be free from high school forever!" Dr. Tommy Oliver smiled as his science class full of seniors cheered. "I enjoyed teaching you all and I expect great things out of you."

"Don't get all mushy on us!" yelled a student sporting a red t-shirt.

"Okay, okay, but let me say one more thing," Tommy paused for a dramatic effect. He noticed all of his students leaning forward, waiting for him to continue. "May the power protect you!"

Just then the bell rang, making all of the seniors scramble up out of their seats to roam in their high school halls on last time.

"May the power protect you? That was really lame, Dr. O."

"Don't mind Connor, Dr. O," said a girl dressed in yellow. "I liked it; a good saying to end a good run as…you know."

"Thanks Kira," Tommy replied. "Zordon used to say it to us all the time."

A smile remained on Tommy's face as he reminisced about his ranger days.

"So…what do we do now?" a boy clad in a blue shirt asked.

The group of four teenagers, plus Tommy, was silent.

"We go out and save Reefside from the evil ways of Mesogog!" Connor cried.

They all laughed.

"This may sound weird," began the last member of the group, a boy dressed in all white. "But, I'm gonna miss my dad being evil."

They all laughed again.

"True, but I'm glad we got your dad back to being normal, Trent," Kira said.

Trent smiled and silence fell upon them all again.

"Well, you guys should get going," Tommy told them as he began to pack up his things. "I have a few things to do, but I'll see you guys later on."

"Alright," Connor answered for the group. "We'll see you later, Dr. O!"

Tommy waved and watched his four favorite students walk out the door. He plopped down on his chair and stared at his empty classroom. He survived his first year of teaching and that left him feeling very accomplished. Yet, it also made him feel empty. It was the feeling that one feels when they accomplish one of their dreams; the feeling where you ask yourself, "Now what?"

"_Now what?_" Tommy asked himself. After being a ranger and leading a few different teams, protecting two different cities and the whole world, there wasn't much left to do. Well, there was his short stint as a race car driver, then going to college to receive his PhD, going on an archaeological dig, and then becoming a science teacher. What more can Tommy Oliver do?

The former black Dino ranger let out a sigh. "_Twenty five years old and I'm having a mid life crisis._" He laughed at himself, but the laughter did not make him feel better. Tommy shook his head and began to collect his belongings. He had been planning on going home to clear his head before meeting up with his former protégés, but he realized that his thoughts were just depressing him.

"_No worries Oliver," _Tommy told himself. "_You have the whole summer ahead of you to look for some type of adventure._"


	2. Chapter 2

"_One hundred and seventy nine more miles_," Jason Scott told himself. He had been riding his motorcycle all day. He had been taking a few breaks here and there, of course; no one in their right mind would drive from San Francisco to Angel Grove all on one trip. The heat of the California sun was beating down on Jason's jacketed back. His dark brown hair was wet with sweat.

Not being able to take the heat any longer, Jason took the next exit in search for a good place to cool down in. It didn't take him too long to find a place, seeing that he was not particularly picky. He rode is motorcycle into a parking spot and took off his helmet and gloves. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and began to take off his jacket.

"Hi," a random girl said as she passed by. Jason only gave her a small smile.

"_Jail bait,_" Jason thought. He looked up at the sign that read **Cyberspace Café**. He noticed the small groups of teenagers walking in. He also noticed the many looks the teenage girls were giving him. Jason looked up and down the street. Seeing that there was nowhere else he could go to cool down and grab a drink, he hesitantly entered the café. The girl from earlier spotted him from across the room and gave a small wave. Jason ignored her and decided to stick to the bar that was being wiped down by the only adult in the café. He sauntered over and placed his jacket on the bar stool beside him.

"Hello," the redhead said.

Jason nodded his greeting.

"Either you're new in town or just passing through."

"Just passing through."

"Well, welcome to Reefside! "

"Thanks."

"So, what can I get for you?"

"Just a root beer please."

"Nothing to eat?" Hayley asked as she reached for a mug.

"No, thanks. I'm just here for a drink and to cool down."

Hayley set the mug filled with root beer in front of him. She took note of his tan face with sweat streaks running down. She then glanced out the window and caught sight of a motorcycle.

"Yours?" Jason followed her gaze and nodded. "Where you headed, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Angel Grove," Jason smiled.

Hayley showed a look of surprise . "Angel Grove?"

"Yeah, home sweet home."

"A good friend of mine used to live there. When was the last time you were there?" Hayley asked, curiosity coming over her.

"Seven years ago," Jason replied. Beginning to feel uneasy with Hayley's questioning, he asked for the location of the men's rest room. Hayley pointed it out and Jason excused himself.

"_Angel Grove…Seven years ago… From what I recall, Tommy was still there with his old group of rangers."_ Hayley shook her head as if to dismiss her thought. "_It's just a coincidence. But he does look familiar…_"

"Hayley!" The redhead jumped, dropping the glass she had in her hands.

"Connor!" Hayley, Kira, Ethan, and Trent all cried at the same time.

"Sorry!"

"You better clean this up Connor McKnight!" Hayley cried. Connor made his way to the back to grab the broom and dustpan.

"Are you okay Hayley?" Kira asked.

"Yeah, Connor just scared me."

"Well, we did try to get your attention once we came through the door," Ethan told her.

"Sorry, I was just deep in thought."

"About what?" asked Trent.

"About him," Hayley whispered as Jason made his way back from the bathroom.

"Who is he?" Trent whispered back.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Ethan asked, not bothering to lower his voice. Hayley blushed then glared at Ethan.

"He looks familiar," Kira said.

Hayley nodded," That's what I thought to. And get this, he's on his way to Angel Grove."

"Isn't that where Dr. O-"

"Am I interrupting something?" Jason asked. He heard what the teenager dressed in blue had said but didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"No!" they all cried together. Jason just smiled.

"Well, I gotta get going." Jason brought out his wallet.

"Oh no, the root beer's on the house."

"You sure?" Jason asked.

Hayley nodded. Jason thanked her once again and walked out the café.

"Who was that guy?" Connor asked, finally coming back with the broom and dustpan.

"I didn't get his name," Hayley explained. "But he said that he was on his way to Angel Grove."

"So?" Kira rolled her eyes at their former leader.

"So it means that Dr. O could've known him!"

"Kira, Angel Grove probably has hundreds, _maybe_ thousands of people living there and, in my opinion, Dr. O is just not that popular."

"Really?" Connor froze before slowly turning around.

"Dr. O! Didn't see you standing there!"

"Did you just get in?" Hayley asked.

"Yeah, why? And why does Connor think I'm not popular?"

Kira looked at Hayley, who only said, "No reason. It was just a silly thought of mine that-"

"There was a guy who was just in here and he looked familiar and Hayley said he was on his way back to Angel Grove and we were thinking that maybe you knew him," Kira said all in one breath.

Tommy looked from Kira and Hayley, confusion written all over his face. "O…kay? I'll humor you and ask how he looks like."

"Or you can just see for yourself," Trent spoke up. "He's coming back in here."

Tommy turned around a saw a guy walking in with a motorcycle helmet on his head. The man walked towards the bar, not noticing Tommy.

"Hey, did I happen to leave my jacket here?"

Tommy's jaw slightly dropped at the sound of the stranger's voice.

"Jason?!"

The guy with the helmet over his head turned to look at Tommy.

"Tommy?!"

Jason lifted the visor of his helmet. The two friends both stepped forward and gave each other a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here now," Tommy replied.

"You two actually know each other?" Connor asked. "So Kira was actually right?"

Kira smacked Connor's head.

"Yeah, Jason and I went to high school together."

"Was he also a power ranger?"

Kira, Ethan, and Trent all jumped to cover Connor's mouth.

Jason looked shocked, while Tommy looked embarrassed.

"Wha- you- he-" Jason stammered. He turned to look at his old friend. He then noticed that Tommy was clad in a black tank with a black and white plaid shirt. "You have a lot of explaining to do bro."

Tommy nodded and threw a glare at Connor. "Why don't we all head to my house? I can explain there."

Jason nodded. Tommy, Jason, and the teenagers filed out of the café and took their separate vehicles to Tommy's house.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow," was the first thing Jason said upon seeing Tommy's very secluded house. "Privacy issues?"

Tommy chuckled. "All will be answered." The former white ranger led the group into his house and into his living room where a huge dinosaur stood. He proceeded to open up the secret entrance to his Dino Lab.

"Nice," Jason said as he followed Tommy and the rangers down the stairs. His jaw almost dropped once he saw the lab that was contained under Tommy's house. "I'm impressed. But I'm having a hard time believing that you did all this yourself."

"Well, that's how Hayley got into all this," Tommy laughed.

"Hayley? "

"The redhead at the café."

"Hmm," Jason replied, wondering why a pink ranger was lacking. "Alright, Oliver, I'm waiting for that explanation."

Tommy sighed and motioned for everyone to take a seat. He spent the next hour explaining the events starting from his college days up to his final days as a Dino ranger. The teenagers took turns giving their input to the long explanation. When all was done, they all looked up at Jason.

The former first leader took a minute to absorb everything.

"So," he began. "Two questions: one, do you feel the need to steal everyone's color?"

They all laughed.

"And two?"

"No pink ranger?" Tommy looked surprised. Of course, Jason wasn't trying to insinuate anything, but Tommy seemed unsettled over the question.

"No, red, white, blue, yellow, and black were all that I found," Tommy replied. Jason nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Who knew that the Tommy Oliver I knew in high school would grow up to be Dr. Oliver, science teacher of Reefside?"

The teens laughed at Jason's pretend dramatization.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't know myself. After racing for my uncle, I didn't know what to do next."

"How'd you get into paleontology?" Ethan asked. He was always dying to know the answer.

"I don't know. I got to thinking about things I was interested in. I considered opening a dojo at first, but I realized that I'd been doing martial arts for most of my life, I needed something new."

"And paleontology came up how?"

Tommy shrugged. "Zordon?"

Silence filled the room. Tommy and Jason were both deep in their own thoughts and the teenagers didn't know what to say.

"Well…" Kira said. "It's starting to get late."

"Yeah," Trent agreed. He stood up just as Kira stood up.

"I should get going then," Jason told Tommy. "I still got miles to ride."

"I heard you're heading back home."

"It's been seven years. I've been feeling homesick."

Tommy nodded his head. "I know the feeling."

"When's the last time you went back?"

"A few years ago. Not since…" Tommy trailed off. Jason bowed his head and mentally slapped himself. He forgot that Tommy's father passed away due to a heart attack. His mother followed a few months later due to a broken heart.

"Sorry, bro…"

Tommy gave him a smile. "Back home is full of good and bad memories."

"Well, if you ever feel like visiting, you know who to call. I'm thinking of settling there for a while. So…take care, bro. It was nice seeing you."

Tommy and Jason gave one another a hand shake.

"It was nice meeting you all, too." Jason turned to the other rangers and shook their hands. "Thanks for keeping the power alive."

"Yeah, well it's not exactly alive anymore," Connor said. "Our gems are drained."

"Doesn't mean you still don't have the power inside. Once a ranger, always a ranger. You never know when you'll be called back into action."

Connor nodded. Jason's words stirred something in him and he knew he was right.

"Catch ya on the flipside," Jason said as he saluted Tommy. The forever ninjetti only smiled. He watched as his best friend disappeared up into the living room. The sound of the front door opening and shutting close was followed.

"Shouldn't you guys be going too?"

"Yeah, we should," Kira said. "But…this is our last night all together again."

"Kira and I are heading to L.A. tomorrow. Then on Saturday I'm off to New York."

"Monday is my flight," Ethan shared.

Tommy turned to Connor.

"Don't worry Dr. O, I'll be here. I'm not leaving for another two months." Connor beamed at him. Tommy already felt the future headaches coming. "We can hang out!"

"I think we should go now," Trent said quickly as he saw Tommy's expression.

"Before you go," Tommy began. "I want you guys to take your gems."

"Really?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, something to remember your time as a ranger. And who knows, maybe Jason's right; one day you'll be called back in action."

"But the gems are-"

"There are other sources of power out there, Connor. If rangers are needed, it'll someway find a way to power your gem again."

Connor nodded. The ex-red Dino ranger looked at his comrades and moved to take his gem. The others slowly followed suit.

"Thanks, Dr. O."

"Any time. Speaking of time," Tommy joked, trying to lighten the mood. "It's time for you guys to head out."

The teens nodded. They all looked at one another as if stalling their good-byes. Finally, Trent stepped up.

"Take it easy, Dr. O. I'll be back visiting during my breaks."

"Bye, Dr. O." Kira stepped up and gave him a hugged. Tommy could've sworn he heard sniffling.

"See you around, Dr. O."

Tommy walked his former team mates to the door and said his good-byes. As he closed the door, he heard them telling each other to keep in touch. He also heard Kira tell Connor to look after Tommy. Tommy smiled. "_They remind me of the gang back in high school._"

He remembered when Trini, Jason, and Zack left for the Peace Conference. Kimberly and Trini were crying and Jason took him aside to wish him luck in leading the team. The next good-byes were said between him and Kim.

Tommy started feeling the empty feeling again. He looked around at his empty house. It was quiet and dark. That didn't really help his depressed mood. "_I think it's time to spend some time with my good friend Jose._"


	4. Chapter 4

"You know, the climb up here seemed so much easier when we were in high school," Tommy gasped as he tried to lift himself up. Jason leaned over and offered his hand which Tommy gladly took. Tommy was starting to wonder what compelled him to agree to climb the mountain that the Command Center was on.

It was only a couple days ago when Tommy bumped into Jason at Hayley's café. Due to Connor's big mouth, Jason found out about the Dino Thunder Rangers. Seeing his best friend again and watching his protégés leave for college left Tommy feeling in a slump. So, after a night of tequila drinking, Tommy decided to take Jason up on his offer for a visit to Angel Grove. Of course, Tommy waited until the hangover passed. After making the usual stops around Angel Grove, Jason somehow managed to convince Tommy to climb up the mountain where the Command Center once stood.

"Don't worry, bro. We're nearly at the top."

Tommy nodded and began to walk alongside Jason. They spent the next few minutes walking in silence. Tommy noticed that their environment was being to look familiar. He looked over at Jason and saw that he seemed deep in thought. Tommy sensed that something was off with Jason.

"Everything alright, Jase?"

Jason nodded. "Just reminiscing."

The two stopped and looked around. Tommy got chills when he realized that they were standing where the Command Center used to be.

"I can't believe this is where the Command Center used to be."

"Yeah, it's almost as if it never existed."

"I haven't been here since…since I was a Zeo ranger," Tommy said. He kneeled down and placed his hand on the ground.

"I haven't been here since Zordon passed."

"You came back here?" Tommy asked, surprised. "I thought you moved up to San Francisco with Emily."

"I did," Jason said. He took a seat next to Tommy. "But I started feeling homesick and decided to visit. The second I arrived, I just felt it. So I wasn't really surprised when I heard through the ranger grapevine about Zordon." Jason took a deep breath. He was glad that Tommy decided to visit for the weekend. Though they hadn't been in touch for a while, he knew that he could always confide in Tommy. "I decided to come up here to pay my respect. I left feeling empty."

"What do you mean?"

Jason shrugged. "Just that, I felt empty. I went back to San Francisco and stayed with Emily for a bit longer when I realized that I couldn't stay. I had the sudden urge for adrenaline to fill the void. To sum it up quickly, I broke up with Emily and ran every direction that led away from Angel Grove to satisfy my hunger for adrenaline."

"That sounds exciting," Tommy said, suddenly feeling envious. While he was studying his butt off at college and going on digs, Jason was left to run around the world doing who knows what kind of dangerous, adrenaline filled things.

"Yeah, but in the end, Angel Grove called me once again. Coincidentally, it was when you contacted me about the Red Ranger Mission."

"I don't think that was a coincidence," Tommy stated. "Remember what you told Connor? The power is still within."

Jason shrugged. "Either way, after the mission I took off again."

"And now you're back again. If a monster suddenly drops from the sky, I swear, you have ranger ESP or something!"

The two laughed. "No. This time, I think I'm back by my own accord." Jason turned and saw that Tommy was waiting for him to explain. "Plain and simple, I missed home. I kinda got sick traveling all over the place and I realized that it was time to go back and stay put."

Tommy smiled and shook his head. "It's quite the opposite for me."

It was turn for Jason to listen to Tommy vent.

"I'm tired of staying put. The only time I traveled out of state was when I went on digs with Anton Mercer. The only exciting adventurous thing that ever happened to me was being a power ranger!"

Jason chuckled. "Being a power ranger wasn't exciting for you?"

"What I meant was, I've been a power ranger since I was a teen. I need something else in my life!"

"Man, who would've thought we'd end up like this? I'm tired of adventures and wanna settle down and you wanna do something more adventurous than defeating evil. Honestly, I thought you and Kim would've been married by now."

Tommy only smiled. "Settling down is at the bottom of my list right now."

"Where does that leave Kim?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Jason cried. Even now, it was still fun to tease Tommy about Kim. "It's just that you didn't really reject the _thought_ of marrying Kim."

Tommy began to speak, but the words got caught at his throat. His attention wavered from Jason to the open sky. "D-did you see that?"

"What?" Jason asked, immediately standing up.

"The flash in the sky!"

"What flash?" At that moment, the sky flashed again a violently wind picked up of nowhere.

"What the hell is going on?" Jason cried. An ear screeching sound was heard, making the two men drop to the ground. Tommy saw a clunk of metal headed their way.

"Look out!" Not knowing what else to do, Tommy pushed Jason away and quickly jumped to the side. A loud crash was heard and Tommy felt the ground beneath him sink in. He quickly tried to scramble away, unfortunately Jason wasn't so lucky. Tommy heard a loud groan and then silence.

"Jase?" No answer. "Jason?" Tommy got up and ran around the newly made crater. He looked down the hole and saw Jason, pinned down under the metal clunk, which he now realized was a very small space ship.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jason slowly opened his eyes and saw that everything was blurry. He found that it was hard for him to breathe. He tried moving his body but realized that he couldn't.

"Jase? Jason?" He heard his friend calling out to him, but he couldn't answer. He heard a thud and suddenly he realized Tommy was by his side. "Hold on man."

Jason felt the weight on his body lift. He groaned in pain as his ribs began to hurt.

"Jase, you gotta move man!" Tommy said. He was struggling to hold the space ship up and was scared that if he let go, it would crush his friend.

Jason let out a loud groan as he slowly dragged himself out from under the ship. Once he was out, Tommy let the space ship drop. He hurriedly went over to Jason.

"You alright bro?" Tommy asked.

Jason could only nod. His ribs felt bruised and it hurt for him to breathe or even talk.

"We gotta get you to the hospital." Tommy tried to help Jason up, but Jason shook his head.

"After we check that ship out first." Jason hobbled over to the ship. "There's someone inside!"

Tommy looked in the window and saw a man who seemed unconscious. He began to press the buttons near the window.

"The ship's power is dead, Tommy," Jason said. He bent down and with difficulty picked up a large rock. "We gotta break the window."

Tommy took the rock from Jason and smashed it against the window. He jumped in the small ship and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Hayley to open a portal here. It'll be easier than climbing down the mountain carrying him."

Jason nodded.

"Hayley," Tommy cried once she picked up. "I need a really big favor."

"_Uh oh, what is it now Oliver?_"

"I need a portal opened."

"_No time for details?_"

"Not now. Maybe later."

"_Alright what are your coordinates?_"

"Uh…Jase, you wouldn't happen to know our coordinates would you?" Tommy asked, covering the mouth piece of his cell phone.

"Last time I check," Jason groaned. "I wasn't a genius like Billy."

"_Just tell me where you are and I'll see if I can pinpoint it."_

"Angel Grove. I'm in the mountains where the old Command Center used to be."

"_Got it! There is one mighty energy signal there!" _Hayley exclaimed.

"Yeah, you'll see why soon."

A few seconds later, Tommy heard a small whooshing sound. Tommy sighed with relief when he saw the portal open up beside the ship.

Jason slowly stood up and helped carry the stranger out of the ship.

"You alright?" Tommy asked.

"Let's just get out of here," Jason said. He was beginning to get dizzy.

Tommy and Jason walked towards the portal, holding the stranger on each side. They stepped in the portal and it closed up behind them.

"Tommy!" Hayley cried. "Jason? And who's this guy?"

"Don't know," Tommy said. "But we gotta get Jason to the hospital. I need your car, mine is still at Angel Grove."

"You take him," Hayley commanded, throwing him her keys. "I'll stay here and see what to do about this guy. Lay him on the table."

Tommy did as he was told before assisting Jason up the stairs, out of the house, and in his Jeep. Tommy used his training as a race car driver to speed along the roads towards the hospital.

"Relax Tommy," Jason cried. "I probably just have bruised ribs! It's not like I'm dying. I've been through worse, remember?"

Tommy slowed his car down when he remembered Jason's Gold Ranger days. Within ten minutes, they arrived at the hospital. After two hours of waiting, Jason was released and diagnosed with bruised ribs and was given orders from the doctor to rest for the next three weeks.

When they got back to Tommy's houses, they found Hayley waiting for them in the Dino Lab.

"Story time?" Hayley asked.

"Not much to tell Hayley," Tommy said. "Jason and I went up the mountain. And on our way down, there was a flash in the sky. Then out came a small spaceship, falling from the sky."

"The next thing I knew, I was pummeled by the spaceship with that guy in it," Jason added.

"You're telling me he just fell out of the sky?" Hayley asked, staring at the man that lay unconscious on the table.

"In a space ship," Tommy reminded her.

"I don't know why these kinds of things still surprise," she said, shaking her head. "What now?"

Tommy looked at his good friend. "What do you-"

"I know you're not just going to let this go," Hayley said as she put on her coat. "A small space ship drops from the sky with a person in it. Doctor Thomas Oliver, Reefside's science teacher by day and Black Dino Thunder Ranger by night, is not just going to turn his back on this….mystery, this potential _adventure._"

Jason smiled, "She's right, bro. This kinda thing just screams 'Power Rangers.'"

"Where there's evil, there's a ranger."

"And where there's a ranger, there's Tommy," Jason finished. Hayley and Jason laughed at their wittiness. Tommy remained silent. He knew that they were right.

"Funny, you two. But in all seriousness," Tommy began. "We don't know if he's evil. We don't know the whole who, what, where, and why."

"We can't know until he regains consciousness," Jason pointed out.

"On that note," Hayley said, making her way up the stairs. "I'll see you two tomorrow. I'll be here first thing in the morning to check up on him. And shouldn't you be getting some rest too, Jason?"

"Yeah, you go ahead, bro," Tommy said. "Feel free to stay in the guest room. I'm just gonna look over some things."

Jason nodded and followed up the stairs after Hayley. Tommy turned his attention back on the unconscious guy on the table. He was suited up in all black and had a symbol tattooed on his forehead. Tommy booted up his computer and decided his best bet was to find more about the symbol. '_Just another night in the office,'_ Tommy thought.


End file.
